


Seasons of Songs

by RookieSand



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/F, Falling In Love, Reincarnation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-09
Updated: 2020-09-13
Packaged: 2021-03-03 18:46:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,733
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24600277
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RookieSand/pseuds/RookieSand
Summary: Dorothea is surprised to learn that the new girl on campus is the girl of her dreams, literally. Everything about her seems so familiar and the dreams always seem like they've happened before. She doesn't understand it all but she's determined to solve the mystery.
Relationships: Dorothea Arnault/Annette Fantine Dominic
Comments: 3
Kudos: 15





	1. Chapter 1

_The moon was large and haunting, a few wispy, gray clouds trying unsuccessfully to cover its grandeur. The grounds were lit only by its pale blue light, casting everything in long, ghostly shadows. The way the light hit the brick path made them shine like the surface of still water and the shimmery stone dazzled Dorothea's sleepy eyes. She took a tentative step out of her dormitory. Her foot landed solidly on the ground, easing her fears of falling through the path into whatever depths it held. Despite the unsettling feeling of the evening--something akin to waking up in a dream--she pressed herself onward._

_Dorothea couldn't say what had dragged her out of bed in the middle of the night but her feet started to take her toward the greenhouse. The path felt so familiar even though she was sure she'd never been to this place before. The glass building reflected the moonlight making each pane look like a portal to another world. As she drew nearer, she didn't see another soul walking the grounds. It was eerily quiet, no bugs making sounds or even the swish of wind through trees. It didn't bother her. Her mission was in the greenhouse; and, although she wasn't sure exactly what she was hoping to find there, she was determined to go._

_As she neared the entrance of the greenhouse, a melodious voice started to hum through the air. The sound of it made Dorothea's heart start to pound. She wasn't scared but excited. The voice was as familiar to her as her own mother's. Even the song itself she knew. T_ _hough, she was sure that it wasn't a well-known or popular song that most people would know. It stirred something in her stomach. She wasn't sure why, but it felt like the song was just for her._

_Dorothea pushed the door to the greenhouse open. It groaned as if not wanting to be woken from its slumber in the middle of the night. The voice cut off instantly. The night returned to its stagnant state. She walked down the rows of planters, her footsteps echoing through the building with a soft plop. It appeared that no one else was in there with her. The plants were as quiet as always, keeping their secrets to themselves._

_She wasn't one to believe too full-heartedly in ghosts, but that didn't mean she wasn't a little bit concerned about the lack of a person attached to the singing she'd heard. Even with the evening as it was, it seemed that there should've been someone. It was too real and crisp to have been just a trick of her imagination. Besides, something was stirring in her chest. The same excitement of having heard the voice. Someone was certainly there._

_She picked up the song where the person had left off. She continued to make her way through the greenhouse, touching the leaves of the plants as she sang. She started softly, not wanting to alert anyone else to the fact that she was in the greenhouse. Her song was for the person here. Before too long, the voice she had heard before joined hers. Dorothea stopped in her tracks._

_A hand suddenly slipped into hers. It was soft, small, and cool to the touch. Their fingers laced together. Dorothea dared to glance at the person beside her. She was a beautiful, young woman, about her age. She was wearing nothing but a thin, white slip and her bright orange hair glistened in the dark, moonlit greenhouse. She looked almost like a ghost, but Dorothea was sure that this girl was plenty alive. Without meaning to, Dorothea stopped singing. Her breath had been taken away from her._

_The girl looked at her. Her eyes were soft and the expression on her face was one that Dorothea had never seen before. Something of pure adoration and love. It melted Dorothea and she felt her knees starting to go weak._

_The girl brought her other hand to Dorothea's face and caressed her cheek. It was one of the most gentle touches Dorothea had ever felt. She moved closer to the girl and hugged her tightly. Deep feelings of longing washed over her. It made a pit in her stomach._

_The girl rested her forehead against Dorothea's shoulder. They both held still, drinking in the moment of having each other. Why did it feel like they didn't have enough time?_

_The girl stood on her toes and leaned in closer, her lips brushing against Dorothea's ear. "Dorothea," she murmured. "Dorothea."_

Dorothea woke with a start. She was being poked and prodded by her uptight roommate who was trying to get her up, probably so she wouldn't be late to class. She swatted at her attacker and then sat up, yawning loudly. She rubbed her eyes. They were wet. Had she been crying?

"Finally," her roommate grumbled. "You slept through two alarms and I've been trying to get you up for a whole minute at least. I thought you were dead."

Dorothea shook her head. Her dream was already fading from her mind, leaving her reeling. It hadn't felt fully like a dream. It was too real and her ear still burned from where the girl's lips had touched her. Her body felt incredibly heavy with longing like she was missing a large chunk of herself.

"Sorry, Edie," Dorothea mumbled. "I was having a really... odd dream."

"What kind of odd dream?"

"I was in this greenhouse... There was a girl there with a beautiful singing voice. She... looked at me so softly and sadly. I don't really... remember it that well." As Dorothea tried to recount the details, she found more and more of them slipping away. The girl's face was already starting to become a blur.

"Huh... Well, you're probably just lonely," Edelgard said. "Anyway, you have about fifteen minutes to get ready before you're late. I'm off." With that, she left the room.

Dorothea hauled herself out of bed and picked up random articles of clothing off the floor to dress in. She wasn't feeling particularly motived to get dressed and go, especially with Edelgard's dismissive words hanging over her. Maybe Edelgard was right and she was lonely. Her brain wanted to ease that by dreaming about a girl that she wanted to be with. She had been single long enough to start feeling the unquestionable sting of loneliness. Even so, everything about the dream was familiar. It was just too odd to cast away as her wanting a partner again.

She made her way to her first class and was only five minutes late. It didn't matter much as she could hardly focus. Her mind was still swirling with the image of a girl who only seemed to get fainter and fainter with every passing minute. She tried hard to remember all the details she could but none of it seemed to be fitting together anymore. It made her almost sick and she felt she was forgetting something very important.

After class, she wandered the halls of the building. The music and drama department of her school was small, and it was usually very quiet in the mornings--around noon, the building would become overcrowded with all manner of performing types. It was located in one of the older school buildings on the north side of campus away from most every other building. Climbing plants had overtaken one side of it and everything else was upkept to a bare minimum. The floors creaked and the building was always too cold even in the middle of summer. Ghost stories ran rampant--Dorothea's personal favorite was the ghost that haunted the boy's bathroom on the third floor. Still, Dorothea liked the old building. It felt familiar and homey if when she remembered to bring a jacket. And in the quiet hours of the morning, anything felt possible.

She took a seat on one of the benches. She wasn't sure thinking about her dream would land her anywhere else besides more confused. It was just a dream after all and whatever answers she wanted would be locked away deep inside where she wouldn't be able to reach them in her waking hours. So instead, she pulled out a book to try and distract her thoughts.

Just as her eyes began to flick across the page, she heard singing. Her head snapped up and her heart rate picked up. It sounded like the voice in her dream. She got up quickly, nearly tripping over her bag in her panic.

She shuffled quickly up the hall searching for the voice. It drifted through the air, swirling around Dorothea and wrapping her up. She was practically stumbling through the halls and she could barely control her breathing. Her heart pounded against her ribs. She felt like a wild animal.

Finally, she happened upon a door. She peered through the window and saw a girl standing by herself. She had long, orange hair just like the girl in Dorothea's dream. She paced the music room floor, looking at a bundle of sheet music. Dorothea's eyes tracked her across the room. She hadn't caught a glimpse of the girl's face yet and she held her breath as she waited. The girl turned slightly and brushed a lock of hair behind her ear. Dorothea's heart stopped.

It was her.

She flung open the door without a second thought, startling the girl inside. Dorothea stopped short. She hadn't thought of a plan at all and now this girl was staring at her, clearly expecting something with that entrance. It wasn't like she could hug her and say she'd missed her. She'd never met this girl in her life. At least, she was pretty sure she hadn't. All Dorothea could do was stare, her body frozen in place.

This was the first time that Dorothea had gotten a good look at her. The girl was short, much shorter than Dorothea was. Her large, blue eyes were set in a round face giving her a very bright, youthful appearance. Orange hair fell around her shoulders, ending in loose curls. She was beautiful and Dorothea was absolutely enraptured.

"D-Did you need the room?" the girl said after it was clear that Dorothea wasn't going to be saying much of anything. Her voice was small and cute, much like everything else about her. "I-I can definitely leave. Um, yeah. Let me just... get my stuff." She shuffled quickly to her bag and shoved her sheet music into it.

"Wh... what's your name?" Dorothea said, finally finding some words. "I mean, um... I've never seen you around before."

"Annette," the girl responded. She looked at her bag quizzically as if wondering why she'd given that answer so easily. "I just started actually."

Annette. The name made Dorothea's mind turn. She felt like she was right on the verge of remembering something. "Have we ever met before?"

"I'm sorry... Not that I'm aware of," Annette said with a small shake of her head.

Dorothea nodded slowly. "I'm sorry for startling you," she said. "I just heard your singing. It was beautiful."

"O-Oh... you heard that, aha..." Annette's face turned bright red and she shifted her weight from one foot to the other. "I don't really sing."

"You should. You sound amazing."

Annette's uncomfortable posture became more apparent. "Thanks... Anyway, I'm going to get going."

"Do you want to get lunch together? I could show you around. I'm not busy." Dorothea actually had another class in about thirty minutes but she wasn't about to let Annette get away from her so easily.

"Well, I had a campus tour and everything," Annette drawled out as she tiptoed towards the door. "So I have a pretty good lay of the land. Um, thank you though." Annette stood awkwardly by the door as if waiting for Dorothea to release her.

"Oh... right... um, see you around then."

"Yeah. See you." Annette gave Dorothea a slight nod before ducking out of the door and taking off down the hall.

Dorothea leaned against the piano once Annette had left. She felt a little faint. The girl from her literal dreams was real. And she had made a terrible first impression. She sighed heavily. Why couldn't she just be a little bit less of a disaster? Well, she supposed her only influence was Edelgard so that wasn't much help. Edelgard nearly threw up every time she saw a girl she liked.

Well, there wasn't much left for Dorothea to do. She went to class, trying to think of her next course of action.


	2. Chapter 2

_The spring river flowed lazily, carrying months of melted snow down the hillside into a small lake. It would dry up soon, marking the start of summer, but the two girls were enjoying it now while they could. Dorothea wiggled her toes in the cold water, letting it soothe her as she sat on the bank while Annette dipped and dived through the water. Annette had claimed she was looking for frogs but Dorothea didn't doubt that she was also having a bit of fun drenching herself from head to toe._

_Though Dorothea was sure that the girl in the river was Annette, she looked different than the Annette she knew and even the one she'd seen in her dream. This Annette was short and a little pudgy. She couldn't have been more than fourteen years old. Dark freckles spotted her soon-to-be-sunburned cheeks and her orange hair was pulled into pigtails that ended in loops._

_The afternoon sun hung high in the trees, dappling the river in shade. Dorothea laid back in the grass and closed her eyes. Annette was singing a song she had made up about frogs and princes. Dorothea was only half-listening, her mind wandering away from her. It was quiet and warm, the sounds of summer filling the air. She felt like she was floating through the river itself and would open her eyes to an entirely new place._

_That was until she felt Annette's wet and warm body sidle up to her. Annette's arm fell over Dorothea's body and held her close. Dorothea let out a short sigh, only slightly annoyed that Annette was sopping wet and it was starting to seep into her clothing._

_"Dorothy," Annette whispered. She nuzzled her face into Dorothea's neck, her lips brushing lightly against her skin. "We're going to be friends forever, yeah?"_

_Dorothea wrapped her arms around the other girl. There was something about Annette that she loved deep down in her soul. She couldn't think of anyone else she'd rather spend the rest of her life with. She knew it was a strange thought, being as young as they were, but Dorothea felt it fully. She wouldn't give Annette up for the world._

_"Of course," Dorothea responded as if the answer was obvious. "Who else would I spend my summers with?"_

_"Oh! I made up a new song!" Annette said suddenly. "I know how much you like them." She sat up and slapped her hands on her knees as she took a deep breath._

_Dorothea closed her eyes once again as the world broke into a scene of pure white. The song washed over her like a wave on the beach. It was familiar even though Annette said it was new; it calmed her like a nursery rhyme from her childhood. The lyrics weren't childish either like any of Annette's other songs about frogs or ghosts. It was deeper than that. It was about Dorothea, she could tell. It was meant for her._

_As Annette's beautiful voice came to a lull, Dorothea sat up. She wrapped her arm around Annette and tugged her closer. They were the only two people left in the world, the stream having disappeared long ago. Annette giggled and blushed as Dorothea planted a kiss on her cheek._

_The finality of the moment hit Dorothea like a truck. She could feel Annette slipping away from her. She felt like she wasn't going to hear that song again for some time. Her heart was heavy._

Dorothea woke. The room was still dark and for a moment she thought she was still inside her dream. Then she heard the soft sigh of Edelgard breathing beside her and she relaxed. She was crying again and quickly wiped at her eyes. Edelgard stirred and brought Dorothea into a tight hug, tucking Dorothea's head under her chin.

"Everything okay?" Edelgard mumbled. It was clear she was still half-asleep.

"Y-Yeah," Dorothea assured her. She gripped lightly onto Edelgard's shirt. The last of her tears fell as she sniffled. "Weird dream again."

Edelgard nodded and kissed the top of Dorothea's head. "Okay. Try to get back to sleep if you can." Her grip on Dorothea loosened as she relaxed again, but she didn't completely let go. She was asleep again in only a few moments.

Dorothea sighed softly as she nestled her face into Edelgard's chest. It had been about two weeks since she'd first seen Annette at school. They hadn't had a conversation since, mostly due to Dorothea being too embarrassed by their first encounter to talk to her. Even so, her odd dreams persisted. In an act of desperation, she slept with Edelgard most nights. They weren't having sex or anything, but Edelgard's presence was comforting. Dorothea wouldn't admit to it but it _did_ help a little bit that she was vaguely shaped like Annette.

This was the fifth time she'd had that particular dream. After that first encounter with Annette, her dreams had held off for a few days. Now, this one seemed rather persistent in getting her attention. She wasn't sure what it wanted from her. It wasn't like she could just make Annette be her friend and she'd already made a bad impression. Besides that, she didn't like the way this dream made her feel. She couldn't be sure, but she felt like she had lost Annette. The final moments always dragged her down in a way she couldn't imagine.

Dorothea's mind continued to wander. Thoughts of Annette and Edelgard swirled through her mind until, eventually, she was dragged into a restless sleep.

Dorothea sat on a bench in the old building, trying not to doze off. She hadn't been able to get any proper sleep, constantly falling into a light sleep only to be jolted awake again by one thing or another. Edelgard was woken up by Dorothea's constant thrashing and forced Dorothea to get out of bed and get ready for the day, saying that it was clear she wouldn't be sleeping. Dorothea's coffee had worn off about twenty minutes after she'd finished it and she was struggling to stay awake. Her eyes closed and her head dipped forward.

As she was on the edge of sleep, she heard singing from up the hallway. It was the same song about frogs turning into princes that she had heard in her dream. She must've dozed off once again and was about to be visited by the stream.

Unsure why, Dorothea opened her eyes and lifted her head. She was still in the school hallway. Despite her fatigue, she hauled herself to her feet and went in search of the singing still ringing in her ears. Sure enough, she found Annette sitting in one of the cubbies in the hallway, drawing in a notebook. She had headphones in and seemed to be absorbed completely in her work. Now that Dorothea was listening closely, Annette was only quietly humming along to whatever it was she was listening to and not singing about frogs at all. Dorothea pinched herself hard and winced. These dreams were messing with her head.

Annette looked up and jumped. She hadn't noticed Dorothea enter the hall and was startled to see the girl so run down. She sat back in her seat and pulled one of her knees up to her chest. Her posture wasn't unwelcoming but she didn't seem like she wanted to talk much either. She'd only removed one of her earbuds.

"Hi," Dorothea said sheepishly. She could only imagine what she looked like. She'd been too tired to put on makeup or do her hair and she'd only managed to put on sweatpants and a baggy sweater. Everything else seemed like too much effort.

"Hello," Annette responded. She smiled gently, her head tilting slightly to the side like a puppy.

"Do you mind if I sit?" Dorothea asked gesturing to the bench on the other side of the cubby's table.

"Not at all." Annette moved her things closer to herself to clear table space. Once it was clear, she gestured for Dorothea to sit.

Dorothea plopped into the seat with a heavy sigh and laid her head down on the table. She was tired and just the walk up the hallway had left her exhausted. At least Annette was being amicable with her today. Then again, Annette wasn't one to be very mean. Plus, she probably noticed how tired Dorothea looked and wanted to make sure Dorothea was alright.

The silence between them was palpable. Annette hadn't put her other earbud back in, but it was clear that she was back to being absorbed in her work. She had gone back to quietly writing down sentences in between her doodles. She looked cute so focused on her work.

As Dorothea watched Annette's hand move, she remembered something. "Oh, I never gave you my name. I'm Dorothea."

Annette looked at her, her blue eyes catching Dorothea's. "Oh, I knew that," she said sweetly.

That certainly wasn't the answer that Dorothea was expecting. She lifted her head slightly her eyes wide with curiosity. "Wh-What?" she asked quietly. She couldn't help but wonder if Annette was 

"You were in a big opera back in winter semester," Annette said simply as she turned back to her paper. "Everybody still talks about how great you are."

"Oh... right."

The conversation lulled. To be honest, Dorothea was content just sitting near Annette, her presence calming in and of itself. Dorothea's tired mind was swirling with thoughts and she still wasn't sure if this was a dream or reality. Or, at the very least, her current reality. At the same time, she wanted to learn more about Annette. This time would be wasted if she didn't talk to her at least a little more than telling Annette her name.

"I haven't seen you in any classes," Dorothea said. "Well, any of mine."

"Oh, well, I'm not majoring in any performing arts," Annette responded quickly. "I'm actually an English Lit. major and I'm doing a minor in Japanese language. I'm just taking a drama class for fun. I need the elective anyway."

"Oh... It just seemed like you were always here."

"I like this building," Annette murmured. "It's cozy... Though it is a little bit cold."

Dorothea nodded. She could understand that. She too loved to be in the old arts building. It reminded her of something she couldn't quite put her finger on.

The conversation lulled again and Dorothea buried her face in her arms. She was starting to succumb to her exhaustion and couldn't hold it off any longer. She'd made more headway with Annette in this one conversation than she had in the entire time knowing her and that at least comforted her. Her mind drifted away.

_"Do you want to get coffee sometime?"_

_Annette's voice was faint but becoming clearer. They were standing in the hallway of some building that Dorothea vaguely recognized. Everything was brightly white and she could barely make out Annette's face. They were much older, maybe in their mid to late forties._

_Annette was leaned against the wall, holding papers to her chest. Dorothea was sure that they were at work and on a lunch break together. Annette's hand reached out and gingerly grabbed Dorothea's. It was warm and soft but had a plethora of papercuts running across her fingers._

_Dorothea was surprised by the question. She and Annette had been coworkers for a long time. They were incredibly close at work, often on the same page about most things, and could share an entire message with just a look. Yet, they had not spent much time together outside of work._

_As far as Dorothea knew, Annette had been married and had a lovely daughter of about twenty years old. Her husband had passed several years ago from illness and her daughter had gone off to college. Annette was home alone more often than not. It seemed Annette was just lonely most of all._

_"I'd love to," Dorothea said._

_Annette's face brightened up. "I'm free after work if you are."_

_"That works for me."_

Dorothea's eyes opened slowly. The hallway was lit by the fluorescent lights and the bright orange glow of the setting sun. Annette sat across from her at the table, reading a book and casually dipping her hand into a bag of chips now and again.

She looked stunning and altogether like she wasn't apart of the world Dorothea lived in. She was angelic, her hair glowing like a fiery halo around her head. Dorothea's mouth felt dry as she watched Annette for a few more moments.

"Hey," Annette said softly when she noticed Dorothea had woken up. "You conked right out. You looked tired so I didn't want to wake you."

Dorothea sat up. Her back hurt from leaning over the table and she must've looked worse than she did earlier. Still, she only had one thing on her mind.

"Do you want to get coffee sometime?" Dorothea asked.

Annette looked a little taken aback. It was only for a second but Dorothea saw it flash across her face. She quickly settled on a much gentler look.

"Of course," she said. "That sounds lovely."


	3. Chapter 3

Annette shuffled quickly along the path to her dorm room, her hands shaking happily as she went. She could hardly contain herself. Dorothea had asked her out. The Dorothea Arnault. The Opera Prodigy. Probably one of the most famous girls currently attending their school. Annette wasn't crushing on her or anything. She was only excited to spend time with a singer that she greatly admired. Yeah, that was it. 

She'd been playing it cool for weeks. After their first meeting, Annette couldn't help but fall head over heels for the other girl. She was gorgeous and she had complimented Annette's singing, which is not something that Annette took lightly. To reign herself in, she had stayed out of the old arts building as to not run into Dorothea again. Once she was confident in herself and knew she wouldn't turn into a complete blubbering mess, she started spending more time there again.

She was happy Dorothea had found her so easily, though she did wish Dorothea hadn't been half asleep. They really hadn't been able to talk at all since she passed out after only a few minutes of conversation. But they would make up for it on their date. 

Annette entered her dorm room like a whirlwind, quickly going to her bed and flopping onto it. She buried her face into her pillow and kicked her legs excitedly in the air. Her roommate, who was sitting quietly at her desk, glanced over her shoulder to take in the clearly lovestruck girl.

"Are you okay over there?" her roommate asked cautiously. It was a dangerous gamble on whether or not to get Annette started.

Annette sat up. Her hair was sticking out in all directions and she had a dopey grin on her face. She clutched the pillow to her chest. "Mercie, you'll never guess what happened to me," she said practically bubbling over.

Her roommate, Mercedes, rested her arm on the back of her chair, gearing up for a long session of Annette gushing about whatever it was that had her so wound up. Annette was much like a dog and anything remotely good tended to be astronomical to her. Though, Mercedes did have to admit it was nice having around a little ball of sunshine who could find even the simplest of things enjoyable.

"Well, if I can't guess you'll have to tell me," Mercedes said, raising her eyebrows.

"Dorothea asked me to get coffee with her!" Annette squealed. She fell back on her bed again and kicked her legs into the air. "Gah, I'm so excited! Do you know what this means, Mercie?"

"That you'll have to drink coffee when you don't like it?" Mercedes guessed.

Annette frowned and tossed her pillow in Mercedes's general direction. "No! That's not it."

Mercedes chuckled. "Okay, then what?"

"I have a date! With a girl. I haven't been on a date in forever."

Annette stared at the ceiling. It had certainly been a while since she had been on a date, but that wasn't the full reason she was excited. Dorothea was familiar to her like a childhood friend one just couldn't quite remember. Annette didn't believe in love at first sight, but she couldn’t deny that when she first saw Dorothea she felt something akin to that. Her heart didn't feel excited like it had with any of her previous crushes. Instead, it was like a dull ache for someone she'd already loved and lost. It wasn't something she could fully explain in words and certainly not something she could tell Mercedes. She just knew that going on this date with Dorothea would be good.

"Well, I hope you have fun," Mercedes said. "Will you be needing the room free?"

Annette shot upright, her face bright red. "N-No! I-I mean... well, I don't know. I guess we're adults but it's not like I'm... going to expect anything. Um..."

Annette would be lying if she said she wasn't expecting _something_. Maybe sex wasn't necessarily on her mind, but her desire to be close and intimate with Dorothea was... very strong. It had practically been torture to not hold Dorothea's hand while she had slept in the hallway. If Annette was a bit bolder, she maybe would've offered her shoulder. Maybe even her lap. Annette bit her lip. Expecting too much would only make her disappointed. Dorothea was probably not the kind of girl who would have sex on a first date anyway. 

Which, to be fair, Annette had just convinced herself that their little coffee outing was a date. Dorothea just asked to get coffee. Nothing more, nothing less. It's not like she had confirmed it was a date. For all Annette knew, Dorothea could think they were just going as friends. Which would be the normal thing to think, so Annette thought.

Mercedes was still watching her closely, her amusement plain as day on her face after ruffling Annette's feathers. "Just let me know. I have no problem being kicked out for a little while to allow you guys some space. Though, do let me know so I don't accidentally come back to the room."

Annette rubbed the back of her neck awkwardly and chuckled. "Sure thing, Mercie." While she greatly appreciated Mercedes's honesty, she was also a bit thrown by how candid she could be. "I'm going to get ready for bed and conk out, okay?"

Mercedes nodded. "I'll finish up my last bit of homework then."

_"Ah, Dorothea, ah, wait. My skirt is caught. Ah, hold on. Goddess, you're persistent, aren't you? Mmff... Darling, ah, don't rip it. You know it was expensive."_

_Annette was in a storeroom of sorts. At least, that's what her best guess was. There were shelves of dry goods all around her but the room was dark so she couldn't make much of it out. Not that her lover was giving her much time to take in the scenery anyway._

_The tall, dark-haired woman was pressing her roughly against the wall. Her plush lips were kissing Annette's neck and jaw hungrily, her tongue occasionally tasting her skin making Annette shiver. Her hands were gripping roughly at Annette's body as she tried desperately to remove her clothing. It wasn't easy going and Annette was afraid she was going to lose one of her finer pieces of lingerie to her lover's passionate hands._

_Finally, Dorothea got a path to Annette's chest and wasted no time in pleasuring her. Annette's feet were barely touching the floor and she gripped hard onto Dorothea's shoulders for balance. Her head tilted back and she felt a moan rasp against her throat. Dorothea was completely overwhelming her and she didn't want her to stop._

_But it was just a dream. At least, she felt like it was. Or maybe it wasn't. No... it had happened. A memory? But when would she have...?_

_Her head was too muddy to think properly with Dorothea's mouth moving incessantly against her skin. She shook her head and let her lover overtake her._

The day that Annette and Dorothea had agreed to get coffee finally arrived. It was a bit later in the afternoon than Annette had been anticipating but that didn’t kill her excitement. What was killing her excitement was that, even though it was only four in the afternoon, the sky was dark grey. 

Storms weren't great for Annette. She'd been scared of them since she was a child. Most people thought it was fine that she was startled by thunder but it wasn't quite that. The horrible fear that struck her heart during a storm was something set deep in her mind. Even so, she would feel silly for canceling because of a storm, so she headed out anyway.

Their date was in a small diner on the edge of campus. It served okay food of all varieties. The most popular time of use was around two in the morning when it was filled with drunk, college kids. The food was infinitely better when intoxicated. It would be pretty dead around this time, Annette figured. 

Dorothea was already at the diner when Annette arrived. She waved her hand slightly to catch Annette's attention. Seeing her stirred up the memory of Annette's dream from the night before. Her face felt hot suddenly and her heart started to beat a little harder.

She slid into the seat across from Dorothea. With no one else in the diner, the waitress came by almost instantly. She set down a glass of water in front of Annette and then smiled sweetly as she asked Annette if she wanted anything else to drink.

"I'll take an orange juice, please," Annette said.

"Of course. Be right back with that."

With the waitress gone, Annette buried her face into her menu. She and Dorothea had exchanged their hellos but now Annette was nervous. Her palms were sweaty and she could practically feel her legs shaking. She thought she'd gotten over this little jittery crush phase but, apparently, she was very wrong about that.

"What are you thinking about getting?" Dorothea asked as she perused her menu.

She was sipping delicious smelling coffee as she read. Annette felt a little childish for ordering orange juice in comparison and felt like she should've ordered coffee as well since this was a coffee date. Although, she wasn't going to feel weird about it if Dorothea didn't bring it up. And maybe she would choose a more grown-up food option.

"Ah... eggs, I think," Annette responded. Breakfast sounded good with her orange juice.

Dorothea nodded. "Mmm... breakfast sounds good." She flipped her menu to the breakfast section.

The waitress came by again ready to take their orders. Annette ordered a breakfast special containing eggs, bacon, and toast. Dorothea, on the other hand, placed an order for a stack of pancakes. The waitress took their menus and disappeared again.

Annette sat silently once the waitress left. She hadn't thought that Dorothea would get pancakes. She could practically taste the sugary syrup and was slightly regretting her choice.

"What's wrong?" Dorothea asked noticing Annette's long face.

"I... kinda want pancakes now."

Dorothea smiled and let out a quiet laugh. "We can share."

She said it as if it was the most natural thing in the world. Like they'd been friends for years and they shared everything. Annette's heart fluttered and she felt her cheeks warm. Something about Dorothea saying that made her feel like she was home. She instantly relaxed into her seat.

They started to talk about little things: how school was going, homework, family stuff, and friends. Little details about the other that they didn’t know. The conversation flowed smoothly and naturally like they were old friends catching up. As soon as Annette ran out of things to say, Dorothea would be ready with either a question or her own anecdote. Annette took this as a very good sign.

However, even though the conversation was bright and lively, the sky was growing more and more foreboding with every passing moment. Annette couldn't help but glance out the window now and again, keeping an ever-watchful eye on the weather.

Finally, their food arrived and, as promised, Dorothea cut off a section of her pancakes and plopped them onto Annette's plate. Annette in return gave Dorothea a strip of bacon and a slice of toast. Dorothea wasn't interested in the eggs so passed on taking any of those. The meal helped distract Annette from her troubled thoughts about the storm as the conversation had lulled. The food was better than she remembered it and she quickly devoured her plate.

Dorothea finished shortly after her and sat back in her chair rubbing her stomach. "Ah, a good meal," she practically purred.

Annette wanted to laugh but rain had begun pattering the window, distracting her. She was watching the window with an almost glazed-over expression. Dorothea noticed this time. She sat forward with a look of curious concern.

"Everything alright, Annette?"

Before Annette could answer, a streak of lightning lit up the sky. Her eyes went wide and she gripped the edge of the table tightly. A horribly loud crash of thunder followed seconds behind and Annette yelped.

Dorothea jumped a bit as well, even though she'd seen the lightning too and knew it was coming. "Wow, that was one hellova thunder," she said with a slight laugh.

Annette tried to play along, a nervous, shaky laugh bubbling out of her. She could feel Dorothea's eyes on her but she couldn't look away from the window. It was taking all of her focus to not start crying.

"Hey, you okay?" Dorothea said gently. She reached across the table and rested a hand over Annette's shaking one.

"I don't... do-do well in storms," Annette said shyly. She always hated to admit it. It was stupid.

Dorothea frowned. She looked thoughtful like she was remembering something then shook her head. She shrugged and said, "Well, we should probably wait it out here. We can tuck ourselves in a booth in the corner."

Annette nodded and stood from the table without a second thought. Dorothea encouraged her to go sit by herself while she flagged down the waitress to pay for their meal. Annette's wobbly legs carried her to the booth in the corner and she practically fell into the seat.

Dorothea followed soon behind her. She slid in beside Annette and squished her between the wall and herself. It was tight but Annette liked the pressure on both sides of her. It was calming in a strange way. She felt the tiniest bit better.

The waitress brought them a fresh cup of coffee and a slice of cheesecake. 

"Thought if you had some dessert to focus on you might not be so scared," Dorothea said. "And I also really wanted cheesecake." She laughed lightly and wrapped an arm around Annette's shoulders.

Annette pressed tighter into Dorothea's side. She had wanted to be close to her, but this scenario wasn't exactly what she was imagining. Still, she wasn't complaining. Dorothea was warm and smelled like vanilla. It was odd but the fragrance made Annette's chest flutter with familiarity. There was something nostalgic in it and it was taking everything Annette had in her not to bury her face into Dorothea's side.

Dorothea took a bite of the cheesecake her face lighting up. "God, it's sweet," she purred. She scooped up another chunk and offered it to Annette. "Wanna try?"

Annette nodded. She opened her mouth and allowed Dorothea to feed her. Dorothea was right. The cake was ungodly sweet and creamy. The tangy flavor of the cheesecake melted over her tongue and she savored it. The chocolate sauce that was spread over the cake gave it a slight bitterness to balance out the sugar. Annette's tongue buzzed.

There was another crack of thunder and Annette jumped again, knocking her shin against the table leg. It took a moment for everything on the table to settle again. "Oww..." she groaned as she rubbed her leg.

Dorothea rubbed her shoulder gently. "It's okay," she cooed. "I'm right here."

But Annette couldn't help but feel like Dorothea was miles away. Something was pulling at her mind that she couldn't put a finger on. She was missing something and it was so close to her. She took a deep breath hoping the scent of vanilla could jog her memory. But nothing came to her.

"I've always been afraid of storms," she said quietly. "Ever since I can remember. But... I don't think I'm afraid of the storm itself. I feel... something deep inside me that hurts. Like I... lost something."

Annette wasn't sure why she was telling this to Dorothea. They hardly even knew each other. They weren't even friends. And, as much as Annette didn't want to admit it, this probably wasn't a date. But she felt like she could confide in Dorothea. Like Dorothea would understand it or something.

"Do you dream about me, Annette?" Dorothea asked softly.

Annette blinked in surprise at the question. It seemed entirely random and not at all connected to what Annette had said. Besides, they had only just met so why would Dorothea assume that Annette had dreams about her? But... she wasn't wrong. Annette _had_ dreamt about her.

"Um... I think I had one last night..." Annette admitted. Her face felt warm again as she recalled the details.

"Did we look the same as we do now?"

An even more curious question. Annette tried to recall details of the dream. She remembered that it had been dark in the room that they were in so it was hard to tell it was Dorothea at all, though she knew for certain it was. Other than that, Annette hadn't been able to look at herself or anything. The dream was in first-person so she had only felt Dorothea against her.

"I'm not sure," Annette said slowly as she decided what to share. "I do remember that the location was somewhat odd. We were in a storeroom. It felt like... I'd been there before. But obviously, I haven't. And I certainly haven't with you..." She hoped that Dorothea wouldn't ask what they had been up to in the storeroom.

Dorothea took a long sip of her coffee, her brows furrowed in thought. She didn't ask any more questions and instead brought Annette tight to her side once more as she continued to eat her cheesecake. Annette couldn't help but feel like she was missing a huge piece of a puzzle she didn't know she was putting together; and, Dorothea seemed to have way more pieces than she did.

With the conversation stilted, Dorothea just offered Annette headphones and some music. Annette leaned into Dorothea while she listened. It wasn't drowning out the thunder completely but it was dampening it. It at least saved her from having to jump every time there was thunder. Focusing on the music also helped Annette's mind clear. Her thoughts drifted around the conversation they'd just had. Something was right on the edge of her mind.

"Dorothea," she mumbled.

Dorothea looked over at her, her eyebrows raising in question. Annette searched her face. The answer was so close she could feel her tongue wanting to say it. But she didn’t even know what she was trying to answer. She tilted her head forward more, her lips inches from Dorothea's. Dorothea looked a little panicked but she wasn't moving away. Annette took a deep breath and kissed her.

Annette might as well have been struck by lightning. The shock that went through her went all the way down to her toes. Dorothea's hand came up and cupped Annette's chin, pulling her in deeper. She tasted like the sweetener in the coffee. Annette's heart fluttered.

The moment reminded her of them kissing outside a diner so similar to this one. But that wasn't right. They'd never kissed before this. She was fairly certain that they had never kissed before. Besides that, it felt like it happened in the future and the past simultaneously. There was a sharp thump in Annette's head and she pulled away to rub her forehead.

Dorothea looked similarly confused when their eyes met again.

"You okay?" Dorothea asked.

Annette nodded. "Just got a headache allova sudden."

"I think the storm's letting up. We can head out."

Annette nodded. And just like that, her odd date ended in one of the strangest ways she felt it could've.


	4. Chapter 4

_It was pouring, loud thunder crashing overhead every minute or so. Dorothea was struggling to make her way through the sheets of rain, her battle-weary body already struggling to hold itself up. On her back, she carried Annette; the smaller girl's body was slowly becoming more and more lifeless as the seconds ticked on. They just had to make it somewhere safe. Somewhere to have a last moment of peace. That was all she was begging the goddess for._

_An outcrop appeared through the trees and Dorothea's heart fluttered. With new revitalized energy, she picked up her pace towards the standing rocks. There wasn't much to be found, but the rocks tented into a small alcove that would conceal the two women. Dorothea gently sat Annette down before beginning to undress her and tend her wounds._

_"There isn't much point," Annette murmured. Her hands were as cold as ice as she brought them up to wipe the tears from Dorothea's face._

_"I'm very aware," Dorothea responded stiffly. "But I don't want you to suffer."_

_Annette smiled. "That's very kind of you."_

_Dorothea's healing magic had never been the best. In fact, she wasn't very good at healing anything bigger than a slice from a knife. Annette's wound was far beyond anything she could heal. Her own skills aside, she knew that it was far beyond what any magic could heal or what any person could do. The best she could do was try and ease Annette's pain. Annette's face seemed more relaxed as Dorothea finished and dressed her again._

_"Will you hold me, my love?" Annette whispered. Her voice didn't have much strength left in it._

_"Of course."_

_Dorothea moved to pull Annette into her arms. She held onto her as tightly as she dared to, not wanting to cause Annette any more pain. Annette's body was cold and her breathing was shallow. It wouldn't be much longer. The moments ticked on and on. It felt like forever, but Dorothea knew that this time would feel impossibly short once it was over._

_"I'm so tired," Annette mumbled._

_The alcove had been dead quiet and Annette's voice made Dorothea jump. "Then sleep... I'll protect you."_

_Annette chuckled. "If I sleep, my eyes won't open to see you again."_

_"That's alright." Dorothea cradled Annette's head tighter to her chest. "They'll open to see me in another time. I promise it."_

_"I'll be very mad if you don't." Annette let herself relax. Dorothea's warmth was calming and she was losing her will to fight now. "Do you remember the song I wrote for you?"_

_Dorothea nodded. "How could I ever forget it?"_

_"I'll remember it too, okay? When you come looking for me, I'll be singing the song."_

_"I can't wait to hear your voice again."_

_Annette's breathing faltered. She didn't have the strength to cry; even if she did, she wouldn't be. This wasn't an end. It was a new beginning. Circumstances outside of their control had led them down this path. Perhaps in their next love, they would be able to right the wrongs that had befallen them. Of course, if they didn't, Annette would do this a thousand times over. Though she hoped her fate wouldn't be so bitter in the next one._

_"I don't think I can stay awake much longer..." Annette's words were barely audible._

_"That's alright. Rest..."_

_"I love you so much. I can't wait to see you again."_

_"I love you too, Annette. You won't have to wait long."_

_Annette's eyes closed and she drifted off to sleep. Dorothea held her close, tears that she couldn't hold back flowing down her cheeks. It would be morning soon._

Dorothea sat in the old music building, tucked into one of the cubbies waiting for her next class to start. She was listening to a song that Annette had recommended to her. It wasn't the normal style of music that Dorothea liked, but this song was pretty good she had to admit. Despite them not having the same taste in music, Annette did have a good music taste. It was something she admired about the other girl immensely.

After her kiss with Annette in the diner, the two had become closer as naturally would be the case. Dorothea had thought she would be the one to make the first move, but she was alright letting Annette take the reigns on this one. And Annette certainly didn't hold back.

She was such a ray of sunshine in the dreary world Dorothea had come to know and not just because of her bright, orange hair. She always seemed to be in a good mood; and, even in a sour mood, she tried to look on the bright side or think of things that would make her happy. Each time Dorothea spent time with her—which Annette pretty much orchestrated all of their hangouts—Dorothea found herself falling more and more in love with the other girl.

Dorothea's dreams had also become less persistent since their kiss in the diner. She was sure they were still happening but was having trouble recalling them, only being left with the vague notion that they happened. She always awoke to a tug in her heart or the unmistakable flash of orange. But none of them seemed to carry the same vivid image of Annette as they once had.

"Dorothy!"

Dorothea lifted her head off of the table and looked to see Annette scampering up the hall towards her. She was practically floating through the air in her excitement, her bookbag swinging wildly to and fro; Dorothea was surprised Annette wasn't toppled over by the momentum of it. 

Annette reached the cubby and wasted no time sliding onto the bench beside Dorothea, practically crashing into her as she did so. She was a bit out of breath, but that didn't seem to slow her down in the slightest. She pulled off her bookbag and rummaged through it until she pulled out a notebook, a script of some description, a pencil, and a pair of earbuds. 

"So what's up?" Dorothea finally asked when Annette had finished slapping all of her things on the table.

"I woke up this morning and had this song stuck in my head. Not like a real song, but a made-up one. Well, I guess maybe it could be a real song, but I don't know of anything that sounds like this. I've been working on it all morning." Annette flipped open her notebook to show hastily scrawled sheet music and lyrics. "This is actually really good, I think!"

Dorothea took a peek at the notebook. She skimmed the lyrics quickly. They were a bit childish, she thought. They sounded how a young adult thought love worked; but, in the context of the song, they were endearing. A young woman was singing about her first love being a woman. For reasons, they can't be together, but, one day, she hopes, they will be able to show their love without holding back. The melody was a fairly simple tune to carry. Dorothea, again, thought it was a bit childish and whimsical. Still, she really liked it. The piece as a whole was pretty remarkable for Annette having come up with it just that morning.

"It's good," Dorothea said with a slight nod. 

"Thanks! I was going to work on it in one of the music rooms later if you want to come." Annette pressed tighter against Dorothea and rested her head on her shoulder. "Maybe we could go out again afterward. I'm in the mood for milkshakes."

Dorothea chuckled and rested her head on top of Annette's. "Well, when you put it like that, how could I possibly say no?"

"Yay!" Annette bounced up and pecked Dorothea's cheek. "Okay, now, serious question. Can you help me run lines before class? Othello is killing me..." She hung her head in defeat as she held the script out to Dorothea.

Dorothea laughed again and shook her head. Annette was so cute. "Yeah. Of course."

"Thank you! You're my savior!"

Dorothea headed the music room that Annette had indicated they would be meeting at after class. She had arrived a bit early so she set her bag down and settled herself on the floor by the piano. She could hear faint music coming through the walls from the rooms next door. She wondered what the other students were doing in their own worlds. Odd to think everyone had a life not like hers at all. She closed her eyes. 

"Sorry, I'm late!" Annette called as she practically crashed through the door not a moment later. She tossed her bag down and pulled her notebook out before stumbling over to the piano, nearly tripping over her own feet on the way there.

"I just got here," Dorothea said, sitting up straighter. 

Annette plopped herself down on the piano bench and smiled down at Dorothea. "Oh, good. I thought maybe you were asleep because you waited too long. Though I guess my entrance would've been a rude awakening, huh?" Her smile became a bit more embarrassed and her face started to flush.

Dorothea nodded and gave her a warm smile. "It certainly would've been." She climbed up on the bench next to Annette and cracked her knuckles. "Now, I'll play if you want to sing."

Annette's cheeks flushed even brighter and she fidgeted with putting the sheet music up on the piano. "Oh, you want me to sing?"

"It is your song." Dorothea played a quick scale and eyed Annette. "I can sing if you want me to, but I'd prefer if you did."

Annette fidgeted a moment longer, chewing it over. She was never one to sing in front of others, especially not a song as embarrassing as this one. She'd written it herself and that was in itself something to cringe over. But... it was very specific in her mind. She wasn't sure that Dorothea would be able to sing it the same way. Finally, she slowly nodded her head.

Dorothea started playing the song. Hearing it on the piano made it sound all the more familiar to her. Her fingers moved as if they weren't her own and like she had played this song hundreds of times before.

Annette started to sing. Her voice drifted through the music room, soft and sweet. It was like being dunked into a bath of warm water. Her voice soothed Dorothea and made her heart ache. She knew this song. 

She knew this song.

_Dorothea held Annette's hand as they slowly danced around the empty reception hall. The party had ended a short while ago and they were one of the last two people left in the hall, the other students having retired for the evening. The twirled across the polished flooring, giggling to themselves as they went. The few staff left in the hall watched them, but the two girls were in their own world. Nothing could take this moment away from them._

_"I wrote you a song," Annette said softly as Dorothea tugged her back into a tight embrace. She glanced around nervously, checking to see if anyone could overhear them._

_"You did? Oh, that's too much trouble to go through for me."_

_Annette giggled and cupped the side of Dorothea's face. "Nothing is too much trouble for you. Will you listen?"_

_"Of course."_

_Annette started to lead Dorothea along in a dance—the last dance for the evening. Her voice was soft as she sang to the clicking of their shoes against the hard floor. Dorothea listened intently. Each word out of Annette's mouth was for her. She didn't want to miss a single one of them._

_Annette pulled to a stop and rested her head against Dorothea's chest. They were both out of breath and both were concerned the other could hear their pounding heart._

_"I love you," Annette whispered, her face turning bright red._

_Dorothea's arms wrapped around her tightly. "I love you too."_

The song finished and Dorothea shook her head. Her hands slumped against the piano making both girls jump at the suddenness of the sound. She glanced at Annette and she seemed to be in a similar dazed state. Their eyes met and Dorothea felt a rush of emotion hit her chest. She swallowed hard.

"A-Annette?" Dorothea whispered. Her voice was soft and uncertain.

"Dorothea," Annette whispered back. She reached a shaking hand out to Dorothea and cupped her face. "You found me again..."

The words struck deep in Dorothea's heart and she felt tears well up in her eyes. "We always manage to, don't we?"

Annette's eyes had tears in them as well. "We did promise to remember that song and find each other again and again." She let out a shaky laugh. "I can't believe that stupid song I wrote when we were kids is what keeps us together."

"I wouldn't want it any other way."

Dorothea leaned in and kissed Annette. It felt like the first time and the hundredth time all over again. She couldn't wait to spend this life with her love.


End file.
